Papers Sent on Yamakawa over Alledged Sex Offense

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:11 JST, May 23, 2023

Hotaka Yamakawa of the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team has been referred to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office over allegations that he forced a woman to have sexual intercourse with him.

When sending Yamakawa’s case to the prosecutors office, the Metropolitan Police Department did not call for “severe punishment,” which is a request for indictment, according to investigative sources. They instead sought “reasonable measures,” leaving the decision on indictment to prosecutors’ discretion.

According to investigators, a female acquaintance of Yamakawa in her 20s filed a report with the MPD accusing Yamakawa of sexually assaulting her at a hotel in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in November. Yamakawa, 31, has reportedly denied the allegations during voluntary questioning by the MPD, saying their interactions were consensual.

The Seibu Lions deactivated Yamakawa from their roster on May 12 after some media outlets reported the police investigation.